hogsday or what...

Alan seems to have awaken from his winter doze
and so much stuff is getting done, that it is tiring just to list ...
Carried the very heavy iron base from the root-chopping machinary
that was left in the house top of our hillock
to produce the foundation for the wind mill.
I know, I know, picture is coming up next time...
The electric fence has been moved back making space for the garden
that will be down near the polytunnel, so we can water it from the
very full rain-water tank if necessary this year. Tons of soil has been moved to cover the area, seeds had been potted, smoking room window frame cleaned from paint etc - in the process it got broken - I didn't mean to mention it, Sara is heartbroken about it anyways, but as they say, you only don't make mistakes if you do nothing...
Lots of little windows got cracks in them anyways, we do need a window-person to fix these eventually.
Goats are having daily grazings as the weather is decent.
Been to the Pecs Market (see picture)curtesy of oft mentioned lovely wwoofers,
had nice wander, langos, mull wine, roast chestnut and bought a pair of gorgeous
soft, cuddly trousers that should be worn indise the house only I think.
And tons of dog/catfood, too, so that I can declare the trip useful as well
as recreational... Though we were in Pecs again yesterday with Alan,
lovely lunch, cakes - hm... and nothing that I could term useful...
never mind... Today I planned raspberry crumbles, but what I fished out from
the freezer turned out to be tomato puree I'd frozen yonks ago, so I improvised a rice pudding with Magdi's rum-cherry preserve instead, and it proved to be a good idea if I may say so...
As from the tomato - it'll be good for stuffed paprika on thursday -
tomorrow another day without cooking as we are off to a Balkan world music evening,
which is a good excuse to have another meal in Pecs. Oh, the decadence of it!

part 2

see prev post for more pics and boring text

snow has gone... for now part 1

I include a sunny snowy picture from a walk with
the kids a few weeks ago. Have to post in two parts for some reason.
As I mentioned, we have our first winter wwoofers, and they swear
that the house is warm enough. And they're lovely as per usual and do
tons of work, which suprisingly, easy to be found.
You can see all the wood chopped, and the compost turned and built
with what is nearly architecture in my opinion... the place is ready for the fig tree(s), the polytunnel soil is getting prepared... and we had a
lovely belgian meal!
also, as I walked to the shop to get ant-trap (yes, they appeared -
in the sink and on the cooker! Lets hope it works like last year, after an initial appearance we've seen none) it occured to me, that no picture of the shop yet on the blog I think.
The new library is getting built, it will be quite amazing, with tons of
proper furniture, reading room, computers, music listening stuff... they
will include Szabi's collection, hopefully my work will sease - I suppose,
the telehaz will have to find another function...

contemplating

Alan is about cleaning out the ex-pig place to get ready for goat kid arrivals, me to vac and clean the place(s) up... having headachy days I am sure due to the oppressing weather, and doing too much reading, TV-ing (australian open is on Eurosport yoohey)
and googling... hope spirits and sunshine pick up with arrival of Jutka and Janos and the belgian mobile wwoofers in a couple of days even if it will be all fleeting stuff.

Thanks Chronoguard for your comment, working on the land can be enjoyable, especially if you get the enthusiastic help such as always lovely wwoofers... and buying land in Hungary is still cheap, especially if you buy an old farmhouse with it.

Which reminds me, next door, which had been made really rather nice by the woman we made peace with, not so long ago, is for sale. Central heating and all mod-cons, lovely stone floors, large all glassed veranda all in front, very roomy, 4 large rooms, with the usual bit of gardens and land in the back, adorable neighbours, all in for for £40K... if there's any interest I put on some pictures... I think we get 2 geese if we help to sell, so get on with you.

no pictures today...

... as the piggies are ex-ed now, and I was advised not
to mention too much the demise of past photo-stars...
Well, we managed to make an agreement with Anna,
the market-business woman living on the other side of the street, she
organised the pig-processing from the very professional beginning
to the smoked salami/smoked hams stage, and we'll get paid in those,
which is very convenient. We have to look out for non-vegeterian wwoofers,
we'll have more meat than vegetables as things are going...
So we are down to 3 goats, two of them visibly with kids,
and the hens. We will have to get piglet afterall - methink another mangalica,
we have so much waste food.
The sun is glorious, all night there was rapid melting.

Martin is in London on the way to a Toronto stay before returning to
Tenerife, and we don't actually know when we see him next...
But we'll have a visit from my sis and hub this coming week as well
as the first wwoofers - even if just for a short transit stay, from Belgium,
on the way to Greece, the lucky people.

we'd better sort and start propagate seeds. These sunny colours out there
and reflecting inside, are
so cheerful. Hope for a muddy walk this afternoon.

supplies

managed to get hay for goats, but potbellies have to go, sorry.
Anna, the local market/business woman from accross the road will get them chopped,
we'll get smoked salami/bacon for them, we still have a freezer full of pork from the mangalica. Snow is now getting boring and dirty, it did ment a bit today, we had
a proper sunny day, but alas, still not clothes-dryingly good.
Marci cleaned out the pigs.

ice

bit worried - due to sleet-rain, the whole country is an ice-rink,
and Martin is supposed to get the bus to get back here as I type this -
Alan decided to walk towards Ujpetre, in case they meet. At least he's got a mobile - last time I let Martin get away with not using what is basically a useful bit of technology for just such situation... taking off years from worried motherly heart dammit... anyways, the picture shows the brand new bird-feeder - not yet used by any of the lovely birdies that were knocking about just where it's been put - such as a robin-red-breast.

here comes the sun! sort of

the village do went merrily enough, the music was better than expected, even some kolo and the Zorba number - we actually did what some might term to be dancing. after midnight champaigne and communal kissin, we walked back to the village centre to see the fireworks bravely performed mostly by the mayor personally, we went home and in bed by 2am. and yes, the sun really tried - over more snow - for hours we had both.

happy birthday

yes, Alan is a New Years baby. and a few more winter pics